The Best Pizza in the Country: Where Does Michigan Rank?

Every pizzeria claims to have it, but where does Michigan fall on list of "Best Pizza in the U.S."?

That's exactly what Food & Wine magazine is trying to get to the bottom of:

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Contributor David Lansel, who spent several years hanging around the Detroit area, says he found explaining Detroit-style pizza to newbies turned out to be quite difficult. Writes Lansel,

Was it Sicilian style? Not really — the oil-slicked crust is equally considerable, but it is always light and crunchy on the bottom... resulting in a crispy little miracle that you never really lose the taste for, once you've been there.

So, we know Lansel has a soft sport for Detroit-style pizza, but where does he rank us when it comes to different pizzas across the entire nation?

After thorough testing and research, Lansel ranks Michigan as the 5th best pizza state in the U.S. writing,

Not much more than a decade ago, most Americans didn't know that Detroit had its own style of pizza...Nowadays, Detroit's square pies, with their distinctive crispy edges, plenty of Wisconsin brick cheese, and a quality tomato sauce on top, are cropping up all over. In more than one other state on this list, it's some of the best pizza being made right now.

Hats off to Detroit! Here's Lansel's complete ranking:

1. New Jersey
2. Connecticut
3. New York
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. California
7. Pennsylvania
8. Massachusetts
9. Ohio
10. Missouri

What Truly Makes it Detroit?

First things first: it must be rectangular in shape. Wikipedia claims, "Detroit-style pizza is a deep-dish rectangular pizza topped with Wisconsin brick cheese and a cooked tomato-based sauce."

Crispy, caramelized edges are a signature of the Michigan staple and some Detroit natives claim it truly isn't deep dish if the edges aren't 1.5 inches thick!

Are you hungry yet? Because I am!